The Japanese bike specialist gifted India with two incredibly potent touring motorcycles: the Kawasaki Versys 650 and Versys 1000. Now, it has raised the curtains on the 2017 models of both big bikes. The 2017 Kawasaki Versys 650 and 2017 Kawasaki Versys 1000 get a revamped instrument panel and colour schemes. While the colour scheme update seems like a strategy that an Indian automaker would more likely adapt, the instrument cluster change is worth talking about. The most interesting update is the addition of a gear position indicator, which is good news since it solves a subtle but important omission in otherwise well-equipped motorcycles. As for the new colour schemes, the Versys 650 gets metallic grey/black and metallic titanium, and the Versys 1000 gets black, orange and green colour schemes.

Mechanically, both the Kawasaki Versys 650 and 1000 retain their potent engines. The 2017 Versys 650 will continue with its 649 cc parallel twin power unit that offers 68 bhp of power and 64 Nm of torque. The 2017 Versys 1000 will retain its 1,043 cc inline four-cylinder engine with 118 bhp of power and 101 Nm of torque. The standard ABS, too, continues unchanged. The 2017 models are expected to be introduced in India by early 2017, but the multiple paint schemes will not be on offer. Instead, the Versys models will come with the same single-colour schemes. In their crosshairs will be other adventure tourers like the Triumph Tiger 800 XRx, Ducati Multistrada 1200, Suzuki V-Strom 1000 and the Benelli TNT 600GT. Also Read: Kawasaki Z250, Kawasaki EN-6n price in India revealed

The Kawasaki Versys 650 has made quite a mark in the Indian market, and rightfully so. It offers a great blend of proper touring capability and affordability, although it lacks a bit in terms of actual off-road adventuring. Its power and torque figures may be lacking when compared to the competition, but it has a wide and usable power band, right from the lower revs. So it offers strong acceleration, the ability to hold on to cruising speeds at a relaxed pace, and a fairly capable windshield.

The bigger Kawasaki Versys 1000 is more intimidating than the already tall 650 model, and serves as a worthy superbike that can also pull off touring capably. Like the 650, the 1000 too can be mislabelled as an adventure motorcycle. But for most purposes, both bikes are very well worth the money. With the 2017 models coming with minimal changes, the pricing will likely remain the same. At the moment, the Versys 650 costs INR 6.60 lakh (ex-showroom Pune) and the Versys 1000 costs INR 12.90 lakh (ex-showroom Pune).